Surveys, studies and whitepapers are released on a frequent basis concerning the top priority of financial services firms in the current market climate. However, these results rarely reflect the same priority as being the “top priority.” This leads me to the question: What should a financial services firm’s main concern really be? Regulation, technology, staffing,
Clearing and Settlement
The Mysterious Role of the Clearinghouse
The idea of the clearinghouse is fairly simple. A clearinghouse acts as a middle man who will insure a financial transaction between two market parties. This definition may be simple enough, but in reality a clearinghouse is far more complex and, if it were to fail, the results could be disastrous for the economy. For
Back-Office
FTF News Announces the FTF News Technology Innovation Awards 2011
FTF News is pleased to announce that nominations are open for the FTF News Technology Innovation Awards 2011. Nominations can be made by any registered subscriber to FTF News (subscription is free). Nominations close on March 24, 2011 and will then be considered by the editorial panel before a final short-list is presented for voting.
Back-Office
Big Moves for Corporate Actions
Over the years at our annual Corporate Actions conferences the issue of automation has continually been a hot topic on the agenda. While many operational procedures have been automated over time, corporate actions have stuck to a process which involves faxing and emailing. Over all, it is a system that leaves a lot of room
Back-Office
School is Back in Session for Ops Professionals
Well, it looks like senior ops professionals of securities firms might have to dust off their books and sharpen their pencils in the near future. On March 4th, FINRA filed a 134 page request for a new registration category that would require certain back-office professionals of brokerage firms to take a qualification exam. Yes, I
Financial Technologies Forum (FTF)
The FTF Newsletter is Born
Well, it’s been a long time planning but some things are just worth the wait. While it hasn’t come without some new grey hairs, it’s an exciting time for Financial Technologies Forum as we announce the official launch of our free online newsletter and new web site today, February 16th. The FTF Newsletter is “The
Financial Technology
Aite Group 2011 IT Priorities and Spending Study
Aite Group, LLC is currently calling all C-level technology and operations executives of securities firms to participate in a short, 15 minute survey on 2011 IT spending trends in capital markets. By taking the survey, not only are you entered to win a Tivoli Model One® Radio, but you will also receive a complimentary copy
Back-Office
Post-Crisis Rebound & Hedge Fund Staffing
We’ve recently released the agenda for our upcoming 4th Annual Hedge Fund Operations & Technology Conference, which is scheduled to take place in NYC this April. One of the sessions added to the agenda this year is titled “Post-Crisis: Staffing your Hedge Fund Operations Team.” We felt this was an important topic to discuss because,
Back-Office
How Much is Too Much? – Measuring Your Firm’s Risk Appetite
The Senior Supervisors Group (SSG) has recently published a report that assesses the progress financial institutions have made in developing and building infrastructures to measure their risk appetite. This report is a follow up to their 2008 report which identified key weaknesses in many risk management practices. The risk team at any financial institution is
Financial Technologies Forum (FTF)
Eugene Grygo Joins Financial Technologies Forum as Editor of the FTF Newsletter
Financial Technologies Forum is excited to announce that Eugene Grygo has joined FTF as Editor of its new online publication scheduled to launch next month. The newsletter will cover relevant industry issues and breaking news in the financial technology space with particular focus on securities operations. Eugene comes to FTF with 27 years of experience
